Back to Me (Carolina Rebels 1)

“Are you worried about that again, Mere?”

“Not really,” she answers slowly, shifting her focus to her pizza before flicking those eyes back to me. “But wouldn’t it be nice if they were genuinely happy for us by a particular month next year?”

She has a point.

“If you want to do it, I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t. We’ll both make it home for Christmas, so if you want me there, you can wait until then.”

Meredith shrugs. “We’ll see how my visit goes. What are we doing after this?”

“Going to the practice rink to skate. Think you’ll be able to stay on your feet?”

Her head tilts. “Are we on a date from high school?”

“Maybe. What’s wrong with that?”

“Shouldn’t our dates be more adult-like?”

“Do you want to go to some stuffy restaurant and to a wine tasting or something like that?”

“Maybe.” Her lips struggle to stay neutral, but I see her smile right before she takes a bite of her pizza. She hasn’t complained to me, so I’m taking that to mean she doesn’t mind. “There’s something I want us to do afterward.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes,” she says with a teasing smile.

“Am I going to like it or want to do it?”

She shrugs. “Maybe. I hope so.”

Now, I’m intrigued, but Meredith doesn’t give me a chance to ask as she flags our waitress for our bill.

“You can pay,” she adds. “Because it’s a date and because you’re now the breadwinner between the two of us.” She laughs, and it’s good to hear it. Meredith still has money rolling in from her endorsement deals, plus what she makes with the high school even if it is little in comparison. She won’t hurt for money if she knows how to spend and invest it. Not to mention that I do plan to take care of her.

So, I pay our bill and we head to the practice arena. I groan when we find Marc inside.

“Are you seriously encroaching on our date?”

“I’m bored, and I know I’m Meredith’s favorite, so yes, I am.”

“We need to get you a girlfriend, Marco,” Meredith tells him.

“What? You don’t want me here?” He pouts and I start ignoring him to put my skates on. Meredith is getting a loaner pair and she can’t ever tie them tight enough if memory serves me correctly, so she’s only putting them on and waiting for me to do the rest.

“As long as you don’t plan on leaving with us. Wait, maybe you should. Then I can have two people hold my hands.”

“For what?” we both ask.

“It’s a secret for now.”

Marc glances at me and I shrug before kneeling down to tie her laces. Once done, we all take the ice. It takes a few minutes before Meredith can get the hang of it again. We do a few laps, with Marc annoying Meredith a bit because he keeps skating circles around her and she loses her footing every time he does.

“Can’t you give me a stick to beat him with?” Mere asks me, causing me to laugh.

“Unfortunately not. Team needs him healthy.”

“Let’s race,” Marc says. “Loser pays for dinner next time we go out.”

“Are you crazy?” Meredith asks incredulously. “I’ve seen you two skate. I’m obviously going to be the loser.”